Section stacker



May 28, 1957 Filed June 11, 1954 w. F. RAUSQHENBERGER 2,793,857

SECTION STACKER 3 Sheets-Sheet l IIIVEHTOR Wflll'am FPanKl/nfiauschenber ar,

Attorney,-

.May 28, 1957 w. F. RAUSCHENBERGER 2,793,857

SECTION STACKER Filed June 11, 1954 s Shets-Sheet 2 y 1957 w. F.RAUSCHENBERGER 2,793,857

SECTION STACKER Filed June 11, 1954 3 She'ets-Sheet 3 l N VE Pl T0 RWill/am Wan (11h Rauszh en berjei".

A Horne United States Patent SECTION STACKER William FranklinRanschenberger, Bunker Hill, Ind.

Application June 11, 1954, Serial No. 436,071

4 Claims. (Cl. 271-88) This invention relates to a device for'receivingsheets suchv as signatures or sectionsfrom a printing'press, fiatplates, steel, wood, plastic, and the like, wherein: such sections orsheets are stacked one above the other'and aligned so as to have theiredges in substantially perfect register and to deliver the stackedsheets from the device in the stack for subsequent operations asmay bedesired.

A primary object of the invention is to replace the heretoforeuniversally employed hand labor in taking such sections or sheets orplates from a delivery mechanism such as a conveyer and stacking them byhand; Such hand operations necessarily demanded the use of several menor boys at the end of the conveyer in order to keep up any sizableproduction, and even so, theresults were subject to human error inaddition to the costly procedure.

A further primary object of the invention is tostack the various membersin a precise alignment so that there is no over-lapping orunder-lapping, and the outer edges are in perfect alignment all withoutthe necessity of using' hand labor in any respect.

A still further primary object of the invention is to provide astructure of the nature indicated which will be extremely simple in itsoperation as well as in its construction, and which Will occupy theminimum amount of space, all without having to alter in any respect aprinting press, or other unit which dispenses or discharges sheets to bestacked.

One immediate important use of the invention will be found in printingplants where sections or signatures are conveyed from the press by anendless conveyer, wherein the signatures are delivered in an overlappingarrangement. The device constituting the invention is positionedimmediately at the discharge end of the conveyer, so that thesignatures, for example, will be discharged directly into the device.

The invention has many other important objects and advantages over andabove those above enumerated, all as will become apparent to thoseversed in the art, and as will further become apparent in the followingdescription of one particular form of the invention as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevationand partial section of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail on an enlarged scale in sectionon the line 22 in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a detail in vertical elevation and section of an aligningelement;

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation and partial'section; and i Fig. 5 isa view in top plan.

There is a vertically disposed bed plate havinga central T slot 11extending throughout its vertical length and preferably centrallydisposed thereacross laterally. This plate 10 may be suitably supportedin a. vertical position by any means herein shown as by a pair ofvertically disposed channel irons 12 and 13.

2,793,857 Patented May 28, 1957 Oneach side:of.the plateltl there iscarried an endless chain. 14 and.15 having. itsfront flight 16 in eachinstance disposed substantially in the plane. of the front face of theplateltl. Thesechains 14-and 15 are carried around upper and lowersprockets respectively 17, 18-, and'19, 20, these'respectiveupper; andloyer sprockets-being located at the respective-ends of theplate' 10.

Thesetwochains 14 =and.15.have fixed thereto apluralityof tables, hereinshown as'three in number, and designatedby the 'numerals.21;.22, and 23.These'tables are spaced.substantially equidistant apart, and are afiixedto the" chains in suchmanner as to extend horizontally therefrom exceptwhen. the tables are carried around the respective. upper and lowersprockets.

Each ofrthese tables 21, 22 and 23, carries a head design-atedim commonby the numeral 24 which will fit within the T slot 11 with asliding fitso that the table in each instance as it'traverses'the plate 10 from topto bottom as-will .be-thegeneral direction of travelin respect to'the:front 'faceof that plate10,'the head 24 will maintain the table inafixedhorizonta'l position throughout its travel' across-"the' plate.That is, the head 24' fits snuglywithin the-T slot 11'"with. a slidingfit as best indicated in-Fig. 5.

The two chains 14 and 15 are driven in unison by any suitable drive;hereinshown as by a belt 25 driven by a motorZG-anda-pulley 27 fixedonthe shaft 28which carries -the'lower sprockets 1'8 and20'. The twosprockets Hand 20 are'fixed to'the shaft 28, and the drive of the motor26 is in thatdi'rectionwhich will carry the flight 16; Fig: 4;downwardly.

A frame 29"hereirr shown as being generally rectangular-in shape isprovided at'the upper portion of the plate 10"to'exten'doutwardlytherefrom andto provide clearance for the respective tables 21, 22, and23 to pass freely' downwardly therethrough'. To one side of theframe'29'; thereis fixeda plate or'back 'wall3tl to extendf vertically"therefrom, and'to be so locatedthat the tables21; 22?. and'23rnay passfreely thereover.

On one side of the frame 29', there are a pair ofupwardlyextending'posts'32' and 33 which carryhorizontally'thereacross'a' cam shaft 34. Encircling the shaft 34 area-"pair'of horizontally" spaced apart cam followers 35 and 36' of'acylindrical'nature, and these followers 35 andi36'arein turnfixed to'apair ofupright aligning arms 37 and38i Therlowerend portions of thesearms 37 and38 are fixed to a horizontally disposedshaft 39 spacing themembers 37 'and'38 'apart'afixed distance along the shaft 34. The shaft39 has=endportions extending outwardly respectively from the'sides ofthe members 37 and 38 to be receivedwithin-guides 40 and 41 which are ineffect simply-inverted U-shaped' brackets carried by the frame 29, all.as indicated in:Eig... 1. Within eachof the followers 35 and 36 is acylindrical cam member42 as illustrated in Fig. 3, the cam member ineach instance being fixed to the shaft 34.v

The shaft 34 is power. driven by any suitable means such as by a motor43 driving the shaft at a reduced speedby' any suitable means such asthrough the belt drive 44 to the pulley 45 fixed to the shaft 34.

The action of the members 37 and 38 set up by rotation of'th'eshaft34'is best illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein an arm 38 for' exampleis'shownon an enlarged scale in solid lines at? an innermostposition of travel.Here it is substantially vertieallydisposed; Then'as the cam 42' isrevolved with the shaft 34, i'thecarn 42 'can'turn around and carry themember 38- ina rocking manner, and also in an 3 T lifted from the solidline position. When the cam 42 is turned in the direction of travel asindicated by the arrow, the member 38 will not only advance by its upperportion particularly to the right, but it also will have a slightdownward travel. This unique motion of the arm 38 and likewise of thearm 37 serves to align the various sections, sheets or plates, as thecase may be, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In like manner there are a pair of aligning arms 47 and 48 disposed ingenerally vertical directions on the side of the frame 29 directlyopposite to the upright wall 30. That is, the members 47 and 48 are in aplane at right angles to the plane of the members 37 and 38. Between themembers 47, 48 and 37, 38, the wall 30, and the plate 10, there isdefined a rectangular opening through which the various tables 21, 22,and 23 will pass.

The aligning members 47 and 48 are mounted on the lower spacing shaft 49which is carried in the brackets 50 and 51 permitting vertical travel,and the cam followers 52 and 53 are fixed to the backs or outer sides ofthe members 47 and 48, through which followers the drive shaft 54extends, carrying a cam 42 inside of each of the followers 52 and 53.The shaft 54 is revolved in any suitable manner, herein shown as beinginterconnected in a driving relationship with the shaft 34 through thegears 55 and 56, Figs. 1 and 5. Thus, the members 47 and 48 are givenmotions identical to those of the members 37 and 38.

Each of these members 37, 38 and 47, 48 is fitted with a spacer bar 57on its inner side as a means of varying the spacings from the plate inrespect to the members 37 and 38, and from the wall 30 in respect to themembers 47 and 48 so that the travel of the aligning members will besuch that the sheets being aligned against the wall 30 and the plate .10will not be damaged, but will be shifted into alignment. These members57 may be adjusted in respect to their spacing from the aligning membersin any suitable manner, herein shown, Fig. 2, as having a screw 59screw-threadedly carried through a nut 60 fixed on the back of themember 38, and rotatably engaging the spacer bar 57. By advancing orretracting the screw 59 through the nut 60, the spacer bar 57 may beaccordingly spaced from the member 38.

Where the material to be aligned and stacked consists of signatures orsections as in a printing plant, there is preferably provided means forpressing down on the fold of each signature so as to pinch that fold tomake the sheets lie flat. One particular means for so squeezing togetheron the fold side of the signatures is herein shown, and consistsessentially of an angle bar 62 extending horizontally across on theinner sides of the members 37 and 38 (may be placed on the other twomembers 47 and 48 equally as well depending upon how the signatures arefed) Figs. 1 and 2. As indicated in Fig. 2 primarily, the angle bar 62is turned so that there is a horizontally disposed leg 63 extendinginwardly beyond the spacer bar 57. The other leg 64 of the angle iron 62is in the present form turned upwardly along the members 37 and 38, andthere is a tongue or bolt 65 extending from the angle iron 62 through aslot 66 in the member 38 for example. This slot 66 carries a spring 67bearing between the upper end of the slot and the top side of the tongue65 so that the angle iron 62 is normally urged downwardly, but may becarried upwardly yieldingly under pressure of contact on the pile ofsignatures carried by any one of the tables 21, 22, and 23. The leg 64is held against the member 38 by means of the tongue being riveted overby a head 68 onto a washer 69 which has a diameter greater than thewidth of the slot 66.

There is a conveyor generally designated by the numeral 70 which willcarry the sheets to the device so far described, and there is a secondconveyor generally designated by the numeral 71 which will carry thestacks of sheets from the device.

Operation device from any one of the four sides whichever side may bemost convenient in setting up the device in the plant. The conveyer 70is preferably of that type wherein there is a table 73 herein shown asbeing in the three sections 74, 75 and 76 which may be liftedperiodically to retard the flow of members from the upper side of thatconveyer 70 into the device. By rocking the table upwardly as indicatedby the dash lines in Fig. 1, the members coming along the conveyer maybe stopped and allowed to remain stationary as the conveyer continues totravel thereunder. In the case of the delivery of signatures, thesesignatures will come one signature overlapping the next ahead signatureto a degree, and under such a condition, some of the signatures maybecome stacked on the table 73 while the conveyer 70 continues inoperation.

Before proceeding further with the description of the operation, themechanism for lifting and lowering this table 73 may assume differentforms, but is herein shown diagrammatically as consisting of a chain 77driven from the shaft 78 on which the upper sprockets 17 and 19 arefixed, driving a jack shaft 78' in turn driving a cam follower 79through a cam 80 fixed on the shaft 78, and finally a verticallydisposed pitman rod 81 interconnected with the table 73 so that at givendistances of travel of the respective tables 21, 22 and 23, the conveyertable 73 will be lifted and lowered. This is particularly necessary inview of the fact that the tables 21, 22 and 23 each in turn have to goaround and under the lower end of the plate 10 and come up the back sideof the plate 10 and come over the tops of the sprockets 17 and 19 andthen down between the aligning arms and the plate 10 and the wall 30. Itis during this interval of the travel of each respective table aroundthe upper sprockets until it becomes horizontally disposed in relationto the wall 30 and plate 10, that the conveyer table 73 is lifted. Itwill be dropped as soon as the table in each instance comes into itshorizontal position within the space defined as above indicated betweenthe wall 30, the plate 10, aligning arms 37, 38 and 47, 48.

Then as the signatures are discharged over the table 21 for examplewhich is descending in relation to the plate 10, in the present showing,the aligning members 37, 38 and 47, 48 are continuously being rockedinwardly and outwardly in relation to the signatures resting on thetable 21, as well as being lifted and lowered to give the peculiaraction of tapping the individual signatures or sheets into theiraligning positions and at the same time pulling downwardly on thoseedges. This peculiar motion not only serves to shift the sheets one overthe other horizontally, but serves to retain them frictionally oneagainst the other so that they do not become misaligned when thealigning members are retracted therefrom. Also as the aligning members37, 38 and 47, 48 drag downwardly, this dragging action serves tofurther push in the sheets from the two directions which may not haveoccurred under the tapping action of the first contact of those memberswith the sheets. The sheets are thus aligned against the wall 38 andagainst the plate 10.

The sheets are continuously being discharged from the conveyer 70 as thetable 21 descends, until finally a next appearing table such as thetable 23, Fig. 4, comes around over and into position to start receivingthe sheets Following the table 21 on downwardly, this table 21, willpass on through the end of the lower conveyer 71 by reason of the factthat each of the tables is provided with a pair of spaced apart slots 83and 84 to permit belts 85 and 86 of the conveyer 71 to be substitutedfor the support of the pile of sheets on the table, thus transferringthe load from the table to these belts as the table traverses theconveyer 71 and goes on around under the plate and comes up the backside thereof. That is to say, the conveyer 71 consists of a pair ofparallel belts 85 and 86 spaced one apart from the other a suflicientspacing to receive and support the pile of papers which have beenaligned on the respective table coming down across the end of thatconveyer. The conveyer 71 is of sufficient length to carry the stackedpile of sheets from the device to any desired point.

Thus it is to be seen that the aligning and stacking device constitutingmy invention is one which may be continuously operated automatically inan exceedingly simple but yet most effective manner. While the devicehas been shown in a diagrammatic mamier, it is obvious that structuralchanges may be employed such as in the driving mechanisms, the timingmechanisms, and other actual mechanical mountings and the like, allWithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore donot desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the restrictionswhich may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an aligning and stacking device of relatively flat sheets, aplurality of tables; means carrying the tables approximatelyhorizontally disposed in substantially vertical, downward travel, onetable spaced from the others; a wall alongside which said tables traveland against which said sheets are to be aligned; an aligning armopposite and spaced from said wall a distance to permit the tables topass therebetween; a guide for the lower end of said arm substantiallyconstraining said end to vertical travel; and means cyclically rockingthe upper portion of the arm toward and away from said wall, downwardlyand thence upwardly; said means comprising a cam; a cam follower on thearm; said lower guide being fixed in position in relation to said wall;means interconnecting said arm with said guide to effect said verticalpath travel; said cam and said follower constituting said arm rockingmeans; and means driving said cam.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said cam is cylindrical and saidcam follower surrounds the cam and is fixed to a lower portion of thearm; said arm and guide interconnecting means comprises a member fixedto said arm and vertically, slidingly engaging said guide; said camhaving an eccentric offset axis fixed in relation to said wall; said camdriving means turning the cam continuously in one direction of rotationabout its axis in said directions of rocking the arm upper portion.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which said arm is substantially rigidthroughout its length; and said arm fulcrums in its said rocking on saidguide.

4. The structure of claim 2 in which said arm and cam are duplicated inpairs at two sides of said table; said cams in each pair are mounted ona common shaft to have said arms parallel one with the other in eachpair; and said arm fixed member is a bar fixed to each of said arms ineach pair adjacent their lower ends, and said guides are slotted toreceive and retain portions of said bar in sliding engagement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,535,678 Miller Apr. 28, 1925 1,701,760 Patten Feb. 12, 1929 1,942,172Johnson Jan. 2, 1934 2,341,021 Curtis Feb. 8, 1944 2,375,241 LindgrenMay 8, 1945 2,477,830 Sandberg Aug. 2, 1949 2,506,550 Morrison May 2,1950

